Video: FBI busts 127 alleged Mafia members

posted at 3:35 pm on January 20, 2011 by Ed Morrissey

Hey, youse guys know how the Mob has a lock on New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island? Fuhgeddaboudit. In a historic roundup, the FBI has arrested 127 alleged Mafia members and associates operating in the three states — and one of whom was arrested in Italy. Charges include murder, labor racketeering, narcotics, extortion, arson, and illegal gambling .. or, put another way, approximately seasons 2 through 5 of The Sopranos:

Ninety-one members and their associates, including one in Italy, were charged with federal crimes that include conspiracy, arson, extortion, narcotics trafficking, illegal gambling, labor racketeering and murders that date back as far as 1981, according to a U.S. Justice department statement.

An additional 36 suspects were charged for their roles in the alleged criminal activity, the statement said.

About 110 people, including several high-ranking family members, were already in custody, Holder added, describing the raid as the largest single-day operation against the notorious La Cosa Nostra crime network.

Members of the New England LCN family and New Jersey-based Decavalcante family also are accused of related federal crimes, the statement said.

Ironically, The Sopranos was based in part on the DeCavalcante family in New Jersey. The DeCavalcante organization was presumed to be washed up after a hitman turned informant a few years back and its leaders began cutting deals to save their own skins. According to the FBI in the video, their organizational death and that of the American Mafia turned out to be at least somewhat exaggerated.

After a bust of this size, though, that may not be true for long. Andy McCarthy offers a succinct analysis only half in jest:

Not fuh nuttin’, but I dink deez guys gotta big friggin’ problem.

Madonn’! Andy is almost certainly correct. The prosecution of these cases will be very interesting indeed — as will be the watch on how many of these wiseguys turn informant when looking at life sentences and RICO prosecutions.

Blowback

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Other articles I’ve read on this said that the bust included union leaders. I wonder if that little fact will be suppressed by some media outlets. Does Holder know that some union goons were included? How will this affect fundraising for Bammie-2012? Know what I’m sayin’?

dailymail has a chart of those arrested-most are just associates and only 2 were from the DeCavalcante. These indictments also come from seperate investigations but were swept up all at once-Holder is trying to make this bust look a lot bigger than it really is.

The mob is like a PEZ dispenser. When you remove the items at the top, lower ones just pop up to take their place. The FBI can make such a raid every 10 years and never actually shut down the mob, they will just do something that makes it look like they are doing something every 10 years without actually killing the beast that lays their golden eggs of funding.

Maybe a roundup of 1000 rank and file mobsters would be more effective.

Problem is, when the Mob was in control – Irish or Italian – there were no random shootings in the streets with kids and innocents getting caught in the crossfire. There was no heroin going around like beer. Our houses weren’t being robbed. Now, it’s open hang warfare, heroin is rampant and places like I grew up have turned into a 3rd world hell holes.

When these guys sing ain’t gonna nobody be safe in Albany.
Now if the feds do Chicago,Miami,and LA it might be for real. Bet the Feds even take on MS13, they can get Sheriff dipstick to help.
Oh yeah the New Panthers might be good for an opener,hear that Philly and Camden are the East coasts version of Dodge City.
Ain’t gonna happen,nice dream.

In the “Death of…greatly exaggerated” category, proponents of the fantasy that “Pot legalization will inevitably result in the evaporation of the drug cartels” might take note of the fact that alcohol was legalized almost 80 years ago, yet somehow the Mafia discovered diversification and are still with us.

As an Italian-American (on both sides, mother born in Bari), I fully applaud this action. Now, I feel stupid having to say that, but sometimes it is imporatnt for decent members of a community to condemn their own.

The problem with some communities in the US is that they glamorize their worst elements.

My next great hope is that the Sopranos and Jersey Shore find their ratings in the toilet.